Cottage Construction 2005

The biggest part of our cottage construction started in the
fall of 2005. Shortly after Labor Day, we started a
process that involved four contractors and over eight months
before it was finished.

Shortly after Labor Day, 2005 ...
a contractor who specializes in moving houses came on site
and jacked the house up a little over two feet. He
then moved it about 23 feet toward the lake.

October 6 ... the general
contractor came in and began work on the pad for a new
foundation. The pad work was completed over the next
week.

October 15 ... the house mover
returned and rolled it back on the new pad.

October 18 ... he jacked it up
five feet.

November 1 ... the masonry
contractor came in and began work on the foundation walls.
Because of the age of the house, the mover didn't feel
comfortable supporting the house on the floor trusses so he
set it up on the sills. This took a little longer but
meant that the house was more likely to stay where he wanted
it!

November 5 ... he set the house
back down on the walls that had been built up to that point.

November 8 ... the foundation
walls were finished.

November 11 ... an
electrician installed a new 200A service entrance on the
11th and a roofing contractor tore off the existing roof and
installed a new one, including overhangs on the ends of the
house that have never been there. This also included
aluminum soffit and fascia. They were on site for a
couple of weeks.

December 5 ... the general
contractor built a two-piece swinging wooden door to access
the "crawl space". We had originally wanted
an overhead door, but it was going to take too large a piece
of the height so we decided to go with plan B!

One of the saddest moments of the process occurred on Labor
Day, 2005. Our neighbor Dan O'Connor and some friends
hauled away our old outhouse! They are using it as a
storage shed for tools at their garden. The good news is
that it is only a few hundred yards away. We can see it
whenever we like!

Our summer plans for 2006 are pretty well set for us.
We will give the outside a new paint job and install a few
windows that need replacing. We will also build a new
bathroom and kitchen, installing all new electrical and
plumbing. As time and money allows, improvements will
continue. Our progress in 2006 can be followed here.

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